Olham

Von Paulus, I sent you a PM.

It wasn't meant respectless against the Greek, von Paulus. Maybe most Europeans don't know this, but Germany is also pretty much on the down way. More and more people are unempoyed, or they have jobs with earnings that don't cover the spendings. Economic growth cannot go on forever, and I think we have long passed the vertex of the curve. Germany cannot save Europe. And if Europe goes down, Germany will go down too. Simple plain truth (which no one admits).

I hope this is not a bizzare attempt of Greece trying to balance their budget??? We live in crazy times...

Seems the 'Champs-Elysées' were much quieter back then - today the Arc de Triumphe is surrounded by an endless circle of cars.

Today I visited Johannisthal, the cradle of German aviation. The Wright Brothers had a workshop here, and here Max Immelmann learnt flying. If you'd like to see my photos and report - here is the link: http://simhq.com/for...tml#Post3647772

I am stunned! This looks like a high detail first class plastik model, larger than 1:24 even - I wanna paint it! So I understand for low-poly builds, you would find it harder to gain the correct-looking shape, and to join things correct-looking.

You lucky man - the book is already a rarity now here - I saw two second hand ones for over 100,- Euro on AMAZON! But I also got it early enough.

Sounds very promising, JFM! Especially the D.I is still a pretty much unknown craft it seems. And I hope this will comfort you a little - the German AMAZON seems to show the right planes; only for the E-book Kindle Edition they used a wrong D.III (of Werner Voss). See here - that's what I got here:

Hey, that's looking good to me - carry on, tranq!

This is a question to JFM; I have found a book by you at AMAZON, which isn't available yet, about the Albatros D.I and D.II. Have you gone deeper into the subject than the previous Osprey books? Will there be new info and photos in there?

Thank you guys for memories. I'll search for some of these as free downloads.

Holy Moly! You are getting the details done like an old master! Geeze, I guess stuff like those valve springs must be pretty tricky. Now, if you could bring yourself to make models for flight sims, with less poygons, you could send in your application for the job of building some of the yet missing models for OFF. This simply looks stunning to me...

Okay, thank you for the detailed answer. That's strange - I wanted "Enemy Unknown", but must have got mislaid somewhere. I'll try again tomorrow.

Thanks a lot, Balders!

It's the first from your list. But researching a bit deeper, I found several people saying that "Jagged Alliance 2" was better; that it was "like XCOM with real characters". "Jagged Alliance", anyone?

Close-on and good quality - enjoy!

Found a free download for XCOM UFO Alien Invasion - downloading right now.

Ah, I see. Thanks for your forgiveness. I guess I know what you mean. I have an old game which I still like a lot. It was quite hard for a long time to beat the computer, before you slowly but surely gained the upper hand. It was called "Grandest Fleet". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grandest_Fleet http://www.myabandonware.com/game/the-grandest-fleet-30z It is impossible to say how anyone would like it, if he saw it now. But back in the 90s, I happily wasted hours trying to reconquer my islands and gain the upper hand. I always selected the parameters for my random maps so, that I had many rather small islands. So I had a lot to conquer. And you only saw from the map, what you had already reconoitred. The driving and firing ranges for all boats and ship were different. Oh, I better stop before I get into it - it was big fun.

Damn, are you guys kiddin' me? Those games are from 1995! So I understand, you are all waiting for the new versions coming out this year?

Now, if a total newbie would like to get into the "XCOM" series - where must I start? Can anyone point out, how many titles there were, and ca. from which years they are?

I've searched AMAZON for "Cinema 4D" but all I get are tutorials. Is it not made anymore?

Ah - that explains the superb roundings. I wonder if there are certain steps to choose in a program, what poly quality I want to use. Before I build one, and then it gets too big... Well, still not very long. But I guess, inside (cockpit stuff) would be the tricky thing. And of course the rotating engine! Great to hear - thanks for your info! Yes, I can imagine that - and will try it too one soon day. Now the first is the choice - which program suits it best for flight sims.

Addition to above translation: I have read on now, and Jentsch did not come down on German held terrain, but in no man's land. Covered with mud, he was quite well camouflaged, and he did what he had learned in basic trainings: he crawled through the lowest furrows in the terrain towards the German lines. When he reached the first barbed wire barricades, he knew there were always small gaps for the most forward patrols to slip through. He found one and moved on, still crawling. When he saw a first single German soldier with a rifle, he approached him from behind (quite risky, I thought!) and spoke to him, when he was close enough. The soldier was quite shocked, but had a calm and warm Bavarian temper. "Ah, there you've got away fine again!" he said, "the primary position is still quite a way behind." He led Jentsch through the running trench; they came to a search light and barbed wire barricades. At a railtrack near the main position two officers took him over. They looked at him with deep mistrust; only when he peeled out of his jacket, and they saw the Iron Cross and his aviator's badge, they became friendlier. There Jentsch was brought into a deep dugout built of solid wooden beams. The Bavarians gave him some Zwieback and cold tea. They told him, that he had to wait for the darkness. "The French have full insight into all our positions here; they would start firing at once. The artillery should begin any minute. They always try to destroy planes, which come down in no man's land." And really, the artillery began only minutes after that. The earth was shaking from close impacts. but the dugout was solidly built. In wire beds left and right, soldiers were sleeping; candles in empty bottles' necks were lighting the dugout dimmly. Smoking cigarettes, Jentsch told them what happened. After darkness ad fallen, an Unteroffizier lead Jentsch all the way to the rearward lines. Still running through trenches with very bad vision, Jentsch fell several times. The French arty was still firing, and sometimes a close granade came hurling over with the characteristic deep howling. Impacts. From a shallow slope, they could see the occasional white flares going up over the front lines. At 10 PM they reached Molinchart. All windows were blinded; no light could be seen. From the artillery commander's house Jentsch can make a round-call for Jasta 61. After a while, they answer, and they get their Staffelführer to the phone. "Here is Vizefeldwebel Jentsch". "Jentsch?" A doubtful voice. "Jentsch is dead!" "Not yet, Herr Oberleutnant, I'm alive!" He told them, where he was right now. After many worried and caring questions, Oblt. von Daniels told him he'd send a car. The telephone room of the artillery commander was very comfortably warm from an iron stove and the light of carbide lamps. They served Jentsch some army bred and liver sausage. Around midnight, a car with screened off headlights appeared. With a food package, Oberleutnant Daniels climbed out. He had insisted to come in person. During the ride back Jentsch heard, that they had already reported his death to the army high command. At 2 h in the night they arrive at Voyenne. The comrades had set up a meal table for Jentsch in the mess. A bowl with a mix of delicious stuff, and even a bottle of wine. Jentsch's brother (who was his mechanic) had organised some sweet confection. Deeply moved by so much attention and attachment, Jentsch ate what he could. Fifteen minutes later he dropped himself onto his bed like a dead. He slept deep and well. They let him sleep until 11 AM - no one was allowed to disturb him. When he entered the office, Feldwebel Gröpler congratulated him to his return, and handed the 'Tagesbefehl' of the 7. Army to him. He read: "Flugzeugführer Vizefeldwebel Jentsch, Jagdstaffel 61, beim Jagdflug tödlich verunglückt." ("Pilot Vizefeldwebel Jentsch, Jagdstaffel 61, killed in an accident on a fighter sortie.") The big Behrens came in and shook Jentsch's hand on his "rebirth". "The condemned live long" he said smiling.

Wow, Iti, that looks great to me! The detail of the rigging and the wheel spokes, which can be seen in the access hatch - amazing! What program do you use? I am thinking of trying the modelling myself, so perhaps you can answer me some questions? - is your program suitable for flight sim 3D models? -how many hours did this take you to build? -can smaller, tricky parts first be built in larger size, and then reduced to their correct size? -can cockpit openings or other holes be cut out later? -can one "insert" a ready-built cockpit into a ready-shaped fuselage later? Thanks in advance, and good success, Iti!